The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has today (14 January 2016) expressed its disappointment at the Government’s failure to give a detailed and evidence-based response to the recommendation of the Convention on the Constitution on economic, social and cultural rights.
Speaking after a Dáil Debate on the remaining reports from the Convention, ICCL Deputy Director, Ms Deirdre Duffy, said “Ireland ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1989, thereby agreeing to protect rights such as housing, health and an adequate standard of living. The State has continuously failed to heed recommendations of UN bodies to give domestic legal protection to these rights. Indeed, it is ironic that the Government’s response comes on the same day that Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly told the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that, “Constitutional aspirations are not simple to implement, they are not easy, but they are the values we espouse to as a nation”.
The Government position also demonstrates the continued existence of long refuted myths around legal recognition of economic, social and cultural rights, including, the role of the courts.
Any further consideration by an Oireachtas Committee of this issue must take place in an open, transparent and timely manner and the report of the Convention must not be allowed to gather more dust than it already has given the Government’s very delayed response on this issue.” Ms Duffy concluded.
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Notes to Editors
Dr James Reilly’s speech to N Committee on the Rights of the Child can be found here http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=3714&ad=1